By: Cathy Wilde

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- A group of MBA students in the University at
Buffalo School of Management spent their spring break in New
Orleans, helping ongoing efforts to rebuild the
hurricane-devastated area.

It was the sixth consecutive year UB MBAs participated in
renewal efforts following Hurricane Katrina.

This year, 18 current MBA students and two MBA alumni took part
in the nine-day trip that focused on the St. Bernard Parish region
of New Orleans. The volunteers worked on a number of projects,
including installing drywall, rehabbing a church, potting 300 trees
and planting 40 trees in a state park to aid in the prevention of
salt water intrusion into the soil.

The MBA students who took part in the trip were first-year
students Alex Bateman, Kristen Ilecki, David Kim, Mike Kinbaum,
Marita Paradez, Brett Perla, Jeanette Russell Shepherd, Ghazal
Taikandi and Landry Willard; second-year students Rachel Lawrence,
Nick Notarius, West Richter and Brian Wagner; and JD/MBA
dual-degree students Annmarie Cellino, Nick Dambrosio, James Macri,
Chris Maugans and Bridget Riley. The group was joined by alumni
Anthony LaRosa, MBA ’12, and Dave Loder, MBA ’12.

Operation Southern Comfort, a Syracuse-based initiative that has
conducted 42 trips to help Gulf Coast areas affected by Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita, coordinated the volunteer work.

The trip was made possible through financial contributions from
the School of Management Alumni Association, UB’s Sub-Board
campus service organization and Mary Ann Rogers, assistant
professor in the Accounting and Law Department and Organization and
Human Resources Department.

The UB School of Management is recognized for its emphasis on
real-world learning, community and economic impact, and the global
perspective of its faculty, students and alumni. The school has
been ranked by Bloomberg Businessweek, the Financial Times, Forbes,
U.S. News & World Report and The Wall Street Journal for the
quality of its programs and the return on investment it provides
its graduates. For more information about the UB School of
Management, visit http://mgt.buffalo.edu.